Jake Scully, a lifelong Democrat until this summer, says the only way to get around the fraud of two-write-in candidates closing two County Commission races to almost 50,000 voters is to switch to Republican before the July 22 deadline.
Palm Coast
‘I Don’t Want to Wrestle With Pigs’: Palm Coast Rejects Danko Push to Lock City Into $2.3 Million Budget Cut
Overcoming what Council member Nick Klufas called fellow Councilman Ed Danko’s “pontification,” the Palm Coast City Council today rebuffed an attempt by Danko to remove $2.3 million from the city’s proposed budget and adopted instead a slightly reduced tax rate for next year while preserving funding for the addition of nine new sheriff’s deputies and three new firefighter-paramedics.
BJ’s Wholesale Club Readies to Open as County Raises Traffic Concerns and Palm Coast Annexes
BJ’s Wholesale Club on State Road 1100 will open in a matter of weeks, its parking lot paved on Monday and its certificate of occupancy soon to be issued, Flagler County’s planning director said, while Palm Coast government today took the first step toward annexing the property. But county officials raised concerns about traffic lights and traffic patterns ahead. The 32-acre property will consist of BJ’s and its gas station, Miller’s Ale House, opening around Aug. 1, Longhorn Steakhouse and Chase Bank.
Promenade Breaks Ground at Town Center’s 1st Mix of 200 Apartments and Array of Shops After 20-Year Wait
When it opens in 22 months, Promenade will be Town Center’s largest–well, its only–mixed use development to date, and what so much of Town Center was imagined to be when it was conceived out of 2,000 acres of scrub 22 years ago. The developer, the architect, city and county officials gathered on the project’s 17 acres this morning for a groundbreaking and a few insights into what’s coming.
4 Palm Coast Council Members Uninterested in Rolling Back Taxes Yet Still Inexplicably Defer to Danko’s ‘Starting Point’
Four of the five Palm Coast City Council members voiced opposition today to adopting the rolled-back property tax rate as they did last year, with one week to go before they have to vote on a tentative rate. Nevertheless, the fifth and lone dissenter, Ed Danko, inexplicably carried the day staving off a decision and keeping the rollback proposal alive.
Alan Lowe, Palm Coast Mayor Candidate: The Live Interview
Alan Lowe is a candidate for Palm Coast Mayor in the Aug. 20 primary. All registered voters in the city may cast a ballot in that non-partisan election regardless of party affiliation or location in Palm Coast.
Palm Coast Administration Proposing Flat Tax Rate to Pay for Increases in Sheriff and Fire Services
The $61 million general fund budget would include an increase of $5.6 million over the current budget but no increases in city staffing paid through the general fund. That staffing stands at 271. By far the single-largest line item increase in the budget would be for public safety, starting with policing through the city’s contract with the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office, and the addition of nine deputies to the city’s contract, for a total of 57.
Behind the Smear of Palm Coast Mayoral Candidate Peter Johnson
Peter Johnson, a candidate for Palm Coast mayor, has been the target of the most vicious slander in Flagler County in this year’s election. The claim has been spread through an alleged screenshot of an alleged slur he used, but all the evidence gathered so far points to a fabrication intended to defame Johnson and peddled by discreditable operatives, among them one of Johnson’s opponents in the mayoral race.
Mike Norris, Palm Coast Mayor Candidate: The Live Interview
Mike Norris is a candidate for Palm Coast Mayor in the Aug. 20 primary. All registered voters in the city may cast a ballot in that non-partisan election regardless of party affiliation or location in Palm Coast.
With Nod to ‘Slippery Slope,’ Palm Coast Will Ask Voters for More Borrowing Power Through Vague Ballot Measure
In an understated way that has so far drawn little public attention or interest, the Palm Coast City Council is hoping to convince voters to approve a momentous change in the way the city does business, clearing the way for more borrowing ahead. The council approved a proposed referendum that would go before city voters in November, asking them whether they’d be in favor of eliminating borrowing limits in place since 1999.
Palm Coast Will Draft a Vacation-Rental Ordinance as Din of Complaints Continue and Coalition Forms
The Palm Coast City Council on Tuesday directed its administration to draft an ordinance regulating short-term or vacation rentals in the city to address mounting complaints from permanent residents who say the fabric of their neighborhoods is fraying from the disruptions of such rentals turning single-family homes into party houses. Some 60 households, mostly in the C-Section, have formed the Canal Community Coalition to press the effort.
Peter Johnson, Palm Coast Mayor Candidate: The Live Interview
Peter Johnson is a candidate for Palm Coast Mayor in the Aug. 20 primary. All registered voters in the city may cast a ballot in that non-partisan election regardless of party affiliation or location in Palm Coast.
Cornelia Downing Downing Manfre, Palm Coast Mayor Candidate: The Live Interview
Cornelia Downing Manfre is a candidate for Palm Coast Mayor in the Aug. 20 primary. All registered voters in the city may cast a ballot in that non-partisan election regardless of party affiliation or location in Palm Coast.
David Alfin, Palm Coast Mayor Candidate: The Live Interview
David Alfin is a candidate for Palm Coast Mayor in the Aug. 20 primary. All registered voters in the city may cast a ballot in that non-partisan election regardless of party affiliation or location in Palm Coast.
Data Company Seeking Easements Discovers Flagler Beach Commissioners Won’t Be Cowed Into Submission
The Flagler Beach City Commission will not grant a data-center company a perpetual easement over almost a third of Veterans Park in the heart of the city as a landing point for undersea internet cables. The company was attempting to save money at the city’s expense. City commissioners explicitly called out the scheme, tabling the proposal until DC Blox returns with a feasible proposal to use South 6th Street as a landing site, without disrupting the city-owned parking lot there or compromising its future value to the city.
DeSantis Veto of Vacation-Rental Bill Opens the Way for Palm Coast Regulations with Flagler’s as Model
Facing pressure, Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed the measure a bill that deregulated local control of vacation rentals, saying the proposal would create “bureaucratic red tape” for local officials. Now, Palm Coast has another chance to write its own vacation-rental ordinance, or at least craft some city-specific regulations. City Council member Theresa Pontieri said this morning she intends to open the way for just such a proposal, with caution, as residents increasingly complain of rentals.
Tiger Bay Straw Poll: Richardson Trounces Danko; Derek Barrs and Lauren Ramirez Take Schools, Alfin Hangs On
Thursday’s Flagler Tiger Bay Meet and Greet at the Palm Coast Community Center drew some 300 people and almost every local election candidate on the Aug. 20 primary ballot. A straw poll consisting of some 225 votes yielded a few arresting results, such as County Commission candidate Pam Richardson’s trouncing of an absent Ed Danko, and a not-too surprising tight race for mayor in Palm Coast.
Secretive Data Company Getting Stiff Resistance from Flagler Beach Over Perpetual Easement at Veterans Park
DC Blox, the Atlanta-based data company working with Palm Coast to open a data center there, is about to face stiff resistance from some Flagler Beach City Commissioners as it seeks a permanent easement through Veterans Park, one of the city’s iconic treasures. Officials are not happy with the choice they’re being given at Veterans Park, the paltry, one-time compensation the city is being offered–$100,000 per cable landing–or the way DC Blox has attempted to keep negotiations out of the public eye, especially about money.
Flagler Tiger Bay Prepares for Largest Candidate Meet-and-Greet of Primary, Waving Off Fret Over Straw Poll
As of Monday some 40 local and state candidates had confirmed attendance at Thursday’s Tiger Bay Meet and Greet, what is expected to be the largest election gathering of the sort for Flagler County and Palm Coast politics ahead of the Aug. 20 primary. The three-hour free event starting at 5 p.m. Thursday at the Palm Coast Community Center will include a voter-registration drive organized by the Supervisor of Elections’ office, and a straw poll, which one candidate is criticizing as a “sham.” He appears isolated.
Palm Coast Mayor Alfin’s Sudden Spate of City-Aided ‘Town Halls,’ 2 Months from Election, Raises Red Flag
Palm Coast Mayor David Alfin’s decision to hold weekly “Share with the Mayor” gatherings at the City Hall flagpole is drawing criticism from an opponent in the mayoral race and a request by the council as a whole for a legal opinion on the legality of city aided town hall style meetings in proximity to an election. Alfin defends the practice, saying he is continuing the practice of “Share with the Mayor,” in effect throughout his term, by other means.
Palm Coast Reels Back Talk of Firing Its Lobbyists as Southern Group’s Emissaries Deliver Veto-Proof Defense
A presentation to the Palm Coast City Council today by its Southern Group lobbyists was a response to an inquisition, albeit an inquisition that, by the time the pair of lobbyists had sat down in person in front of the council, had already been sharply dialed down to a sort of Marriage Encounter session. The council critics’ aim was no longer to criticize or threaten dissolution but to learn, recalibrate and grow, especially as the lobbyists twice reminded them of Palm Coast’s record appropriation hauls of the last two years.
Palm Coast Council Approves Final Step for 51 Town Homes at The Hammock at Palm Harbor
The Palm Coast City Council last week approved the final plat for 51 town homes in The Hammock at Palm Harbor, a 15-acre subdivision on the south side of Clubhouse Drive, about 200 feet west of Palm Harbor Parkway. The new owners are marketing the town homes for $360,000 for a 1,181-square-foot three-bedroom and $427,000 for a 1,853 square-foot three or four-bedroom.
Flagler Beach Demolishes Any County Plan To Make Barrier Island Pay Higher Tax for Beach Protection
If the county plans any taxing method to pay for beach protection that taxes the barrier island more than it does the rest of the county, Flagler Beach will not sign off. Four of the five city commissioners are opposed to any such plan, and the fifth is skeptical of the county’s approach. Flagler Beach is especially resentful of the county for even discussing various proposals, however preliminary, without having included Flagler Beach in the discussions from the start.
For 17th Straight Year, Flagler Schools’ Enrollment Fails To Grow Despite Continuing Population Surge
In spite of growth that added 16,000 new residents to the county in three years, in spite of Palm Coast, the county and Flagler Beach issuing certificates of occupancy for some 3,200 housing units in 2023 alone, and in spite of similar growth trends in 2024, Flagler County schools are simply not attracting enough students to reflect that growth.
Palm Coast Takes a Step Closer to Utility Tax, But Only If Voters Approve in a Binding Referendum
The Palm Coast City Council today took its closest step in 25 years toward a utility franchise fee, an additional levy that would raise your power bills by up to 10 percent. Public opposition has defeated such fee proposals four times since 2011. But the council is leaving it to the voting public to decide what the fee should be, or if there should be a fee at all. The fee must be contingent on a future referendum. And the referendum must be binding.
Seeing Record $82 Million Haul from State as Failure, Palm Coast Is on Brink of Firing Its Powerful Lobbyist
Disappointed by the performance of its lobbyist in Tallahassee despite netting $82 million in state appropriations this year, the Palm Coast City Council is on the verge of firing Southern Group, one of the state’s most powerful lobby firms. Council members spoke as if legislative appropriations were either the city’s due, or that securing them were a science that lobbyists know or don’t know. But that’s more fancy (or hubris) than truth in a whorl of politics, trade-offs and, in the governor’s case, often inscrutable vetoes.
At ‘Monumental Groundbreaking’ for Beach-Rebuilding, Shovels of Praise, But Not a Word About Climate Change
Federal, state and local officials gathered at veterans Park in Flagler Beach under a broiling sun this morning for the groundbreaking of the $27 million beach-rebuilding project by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, a project 20 years in the making. Officials exchanged heaps of praise, but a principal reason behind the project–climate change–was left unspoken in a state where the words are now banned.
Palm Coast Launches Swale Maintenance Pilot Program in P-Section, Along with ‘Progress’ Page
The City of Palm Coast announced a new pilot program by the Stormwater and Engineering Department aimed at improving swale maintenance across the community. This initiative targets specific problem areas by selectively regrading and resodding high spots in swales, providing solutions without the need for complete overhauls. This program is part of the city’s ongoing commitment to enhancing infrastructure and services for residents.
Palm Coast’s Mayor David Alfin and City’s Administrative Leaders Will Hold Town Halls
The first Town Hall will be with Mayor David Alfin on June 28, from 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. at the Palm Coast Southern Recreation Center at 1290 Belle Terre Pkwy. This event is free and open to the public. Attendees can ask questions and discuss issues that matter to them in an open forum. Complimentary coffee will be provided.
Historic Sweep: Flagler’s 5 Constitutionals Elected Without Opposition as Shelly Edmonson Wins Tax Collector’s Seat
Clerk of Court Tom Bexley, Tax Collector-Elect Edmonson, Property Appraiser Jay Gardner, Supervisor of Elections Kaiti Lenhart and Sheriff Rick Staly were elected without opposition today, the first time an entire slate of constitutionals managed the feat in memory. Edmonson will take over for Suzanne Johnston, who decided to retire after 20 years as the tax collector.
Lowering Speed Limits to 25 in Palm Coast Too Expensive, But City Considers Traffic ‘Humps’ in Neighborhoods
The Palm Coast City Council is not interested in spending $1.6 million to lower speed limits citywide from 30 to 25 mph–it would cost that much to change all the signs–and is leery about certain “traffic-calming” devices, whether speed “humps” or traffic islands. But it will consider a plan that would leave it in residents’ hands to decide whether they want speed humps in their neighborhoods.
Amendment 5: I’m Homesteaded. I Don’t Need Another Perk To Deepen Inequalities and Hurt Local Governments.
A yes vote on Florida’s Amendment 5 on this November’s ballot means that every year, the second of two $25,000 exemptions will increase according to the previous year’s inflation rate. The indexing is not only unnecessary–the Save Our Homes cap on taxes already does that–but it’s another pander that will deepen disparities at the expense of local governments, businesses, renters and agricultural properties, all of whom will have to make up for lost revenue.
Humbling Flagler, DeSantis Vetoes Almost a Third of Local Projects, Including YMCA, Tourist Center, and All Bunnell’s Asks
Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday signed a $116.5 billion budget for the upcoming fiscal year, after vetoing close to $950 million in spending approved by lawmakers in March. The vetoes include $46.52 million from what had been a record $151 million in appropriations for Flagler County, Palm Coast, Bunnell and Flagler Beach, a heavy loss that dampens earlier hopes for a big haul.
For 2nd Time in 2 Months, Ethics Commission Finds No Validity in Complaint Against Palm Coast Mayor David Alfin
For the second time in two months, the Florida Commission on Ethics has dismissed a complaint against Palm Coast Mayor David Alfin, this one alleging that he had voted on land use items that benefited him and Don “Toby” Tobin, a friend and Realtor colleague of Alfin’s at Grad Living Realty.
Palm Coast Council Flirting with Easing Charter Restrictions on City’s Borrowing Capacities
Palm Coast faces mountains of needs, from stormwater infrastructure to roads to a public works facility, plus some wants like parks and a future sports complex on the west side. The city’s ability to finance those needs is limited. Its revenue sources are few and spoken for. Its charter places severe restrictions on borrowing. Now, coinciding with the city’s 25th anniversary, the Palm Coast City Council wants to explore ways to ease the charter’s restrictions on borrowing.
Did Palm Coast Council Agree To Condition Any Future Electric Franchise Tax Proposal on a Referendum? Yes.
Palm Coast City Council member Ed Danko insisted during a discussion on the budget and revenue sources today that the council had agreed by consensus last year not to consider an electric franchise tax in the future without putting the proposal to a referendum first. Some of his colleagues weren’t so sure. But Danko was right.
Flagler County’s Beach Protection Tax: Right Idea. Wrong Execution.
The county has the right idea: we need a new tax to pay for expensive beach protection, or we’ll lose the beach. But the county’s execution is hurried, the plan is poorly thought-out, it is riddled with holes and inconsistencies, and it has included zero public participation and zero preparatory discussions with other governments. That’s a recipe for failure, deservedly so: the county is taking the public and its sister governments for granted, if not punting to the cities to do the heavy lifting.
Expect Delays on Palm Coast Parkway Eastbound Near Hospital from Lane Closure on June 14
On Friday, June 14, 2024, the City of Palm Coast’s Stormwater & Engineering Department will be repairing a portion of the roadway near the new AdventHealth Palm Coast Parkway hospital, requiring an eastbound lane closure.
Sprawling Vacation Rentals Becoming a Nuisance to Palm Coast Residents. City’s Answer: ‘Our Hands Are Tied.’
As resident after resident complained about short-term renters next door–the noise, the partying, the traffic, the garbage, the unexpected–the Palm Coast City Council chambers Tuesday evening sounded more like a scene transplanted from the County Commission a decade ago, or legislative committees in Tallahassee every year since. But the legislature just passed a new law that forbids cities like Palm Coast from imposing stricter regulations on vacation rentals than they would on permanent residents.
Palm Coast Drainage Committee Holds 1st Meeting Amid Some Perplexity Over Ability to Accomplish More Than City Staff
Palm Coast government’s drainage advisory committee held its first meeting Tuesday afternoon at City Hall. There were two people in the audience, neither from Palm Coast. To say that the committee will find a way to address drainage problems more clearly, better, or beyond what the city administration has already done would be premature: even some of its members are “perplexed” as to the committee’s direction,
Countywide Burn Ban Issued as Drought Index Climbs and Firefighters See Uptick in Wildfires
Flagler County enacted a burn ban effective 5 p.m. today (June 5) and declared a state of local emergency to do so. The ban remains in effect for seven days, and applies countywide, including in Palm Coast, Bunnell and Flagler Beach.
For Flagler County, New Tax to Raise $7 Million a Year to Preserve Beaches Concedes Realities of Climate Change
Monday’s milestone by the Flagler County Commission–seeking a new funding mechanism to rebuild and maintain the county’s 18 miles of beaches–was the culmination of a four-year process. It would put in place a method to pay for expected beach maintenance for decades as the county faces a new reality of rising seas and relentless erosion. Here’s how consultants arrived at the proposal, and what it would pay for.
Covenants May Be Hurdle to Palm Coast’s Plan for YMCA on Town Center Land Pledged for the Arts
As Palm Coast government plans for a long-awaited YMCA in Town Center, albeit without a pool for now, a covenant restriction requiring the land to be used only for arts and cultural purposes may stand in the way. It isn’t an immovable restriction. But to get around it, the city may either have to pay back some state grant money that helped build a stage there, or it would have to use creative–to not say Orwellian–maneuvering that would allow it to redefine Y spaces as an arts and culture venue.
Think Your Land Can’t Be Sold Without Your Knowledge? Palm Coast Lot Owner Found Out Differently.
A Palm Coast property owner was shocked to fine that a lot he owns in the L Section had been put up for sale without his knowledge. It is now a common fraud that’s catching many property owners by surprise, that title companies are battling, and that the Florida Legislature attempted to address, but a bill doing so died in the last session.
Palm Coast Mayor David Alfin Elected 1st Vice-Chair of River to Sea Transportation Planning Organization
The City of Palm Coast announce today that Mayor David Alfin has been unanimously elected as the 1st Vice-Chair/Treasurer of the River to Sea Transportation Planning Organization (TPO) for the upcoming fiscal year, beginning on July 1, 2024. The position marks a significant step in regional transportation leadership and planning.
Palm Coast Government Will Award Forensic Audit ‘Education’ Contract to MSL, an Orlando Accounting Firm
As the Palm Coast City Council seeks an education on forensic audits–either to conduct one or to learn that it may be too prohibitively, unnecessarily expensive absent imperative reasons to do one–Palm Coast government intends to award the contract for such an education to Orlando-based MSL, P.A. The accounting company specializes in audits, including fraud and forensic audits, business, tax and financial consultancies.
Nearly $1 Billion in New Construction Raises Flagler County Taxable Values 12% Over Last Year, a Salve to Budgets
“Humming along” is how Flagler County Property Appraiser Jay Gardner describes the year’s property values: powered by nearly $1 billion in new construction alone, $631 million of it in Palm Coast, taxable property values in Flagler County rose around 12 percent this year, and 13 percent in Palm Coast, about the same as last year. The estimates being finalized this week play a central role in local governments’ budgeting and taxing decisions.
Increasing Sales Tax Divides Palm Coast and Flagler County As Both Scrounge for New Revenue for Cops and Other Needs
Discussion of a possible increase in the local sales surtax sharpy divided opinions between the Flagler County Commission and the Palm Coast City Council, who were meeting jointly today to discuss funding for the sheriff’s office. The discussion divided the two bodies even within their own memberships, suggesting that any possibility of an increase is remote best this year, if that.
Palm Coast Residents Can Now Use an Improved City Government Customer Service Portal
The City of Palm Coast announced a new initiative aimed at enhancing the quality of interactions between citizens and city staff. In response to feedback from residents, the City is taking significant steps to ensure that every interaction meets the high standards of our mission: “Delivering exceptional service by making citizens our priority.”
Development Is Devouring the Tree Canopy. Palm Coast and Flagler Officials Say They’re Trying to Catch Up With Protection.
There was a bit of a disconnect today in a panel discussion by Flagler County’s five mayors and County Commission chair about how attractive Flagler County is to its residents and those who keep pouring in, and how quickly developments are razing swaths of tree canopy. They spoke of the importance of preserving the region’s quality of life, but also how the torrid growth rate is inevitably bringing congestion, and numerous developments, some of them–as with a 6,000-home plan in Bunnell–colossal.